For Ali Larter, taking on the role of Billy Bob Thornton’s larger-than-life ex on the Paramount+ series Landman was “a high-pressure situation.”
“This isn’t a layup, you know,” the actress told Yahoo Entertainment. “I’m working with an Oscar winner, the cast are a bunch of GOATs. I mean, our crew is the best that works in the business. So I put an immense amount of pressure on myself for that.”
Landman premieres Nov. 17 and was co-created by Yellowstone executive producer Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, based on Wallace’s podcast Boomtown. The series explores West Texas oil towns and the billionaires and so-called roughnecks that help fuel the economy.
Thornton stars as the titular landman who juggles the needs of a billionaire oil company leader played by Jon Hamm, and the oil rig workers who sometimes risk their lives as part of a day’s work.
Larter stars as Angela, Thornton’s “passionate and feisty” ex-wife and mother of his two children. She’s since remarried but is trying to woo him back.
The New Jersey-born actress said that in addition to working with a dialect coach for six months to perfect her West Texas accent as well as working with an acting coach, she also had to work on “physically getting myself so that I felt confident to strut in a bikini.”
While Larter shot her iconic whipped cream bikini scene in the 1999 film Varsity Blues — coincidentally about a Texas town also produced by Paramount — she said that on-set intimacy is “terribly uncomfortable.”
“It’s awful,” Larter said. “I wouldn’t even say it’s easier when you’re 19.”
For Landman, the mother of two embraced the awkwardness while also acknowledging where she is in her life.
“You know, at this point, I’ve carried two babies,” she said, “so I’m like, if you still want to see it, let’s go.”
Ali Larter and Billy Bob Thornton star as exes in “Landman.” (Lo Smith/Paramount+)
What also helped, according to the actress, was having an “amazing” intimacy coordinator on the set during revealing scenes with her and Thornton.
“She’s there with us the whole time,” Larter said. “They close the sets down.”
Even with the intimacy coordinator’s guidance and support, Larter said that she doesn’t think the on-set intimacy “ever gets easier.”
“I just feel like this was very warranted within the character, and this is who [Sheridan] wrote so I wanted to be able to go there for it. And I wanted to feel confident going into it,” she explained.
Larter also praised Sheridan, director Stephen Kay and Thornton for creating a safe environment on set.
“I love being able to play someone that was kind of provocative and also could show herself so vulnerable and raw,” she said. “You kind of have to hold on for dear life when you watch Angela.”
That mix was something Larter embraced in her character, but she told Yahoo Entertainment that Sheridan also started crafting elements of Angela for her.
“What is amazing about Taylor is that he does start writing for his actors,” she said. “I think that’s really special — when someone does write for you, there’s moments that are close to the vest, which is pretty great. So I love that.”
She’s not alone. Thornton told Yahoo Entertainment that Sheridan wrote Landman with the actor in mind. He also said that his most fun scenes to shoot involved Larter and his onscreen family.
“What’s fun? Define fun,” Larter joked. “My character is having fun, and I’m in a state of terror the whole time.”
The first 2 episodes of Landman start streaming Nov. 17 on Paramount+.
